Fur Hurts
Many people wrongly believe that it is against the law to sell fur in this country. Sadly this isn't true. There is still a significant quantity of fur on sale in high streets and from internet shops in the UK.
50 million animals are killed for the fur each year, worldwide. (This figure excludes rabbits which are one of the most frequently farmed species.) The fur trade is exceptionally cruel and a pointless waste of life. Due to public opinion, it is illegal to breed animals solely or primarily for their fur in the UK. However it is still legal to sell fur in this country. This fur is imported.
There is simply no justification for wearing any sort of fur at all. These animals have had their lives cut brutally short for the sake of fashion.
Animals killed for their fur have either spent their entire lives in battery cages before being killed when their fur reaches 'it's prime,' or have been wild caught.
Battery Farmed Fur
Rabbits - Rabbits can live for up to 10 years and form complex social relationships. They enjoy freedom to scratch, dig, socialize and express themselves in the wild. Life in rabbit fur and meat farms couldn't be further away from their natural situation. Rabbits are kept with up to 12 individuals in a cage, standing on a wire floor. They cannot escape bullying animals or exhibit natural behaviour. Rabbits are killed between 10 and 20 weeks old[1], dependant on which breed they are and whether they are kept primarily for their meat or fur. Rabbit farming goes on in many countries in the world, including France, Spain and Denmark.
Fashion shops try to claim that rabbit fur is more acceptable than that of other animals. It is often sold more cheaply because profit comes from both meat and fur. However, without the income from the fur, many rabbit meat farms would not be profitable. For more information on rabbit farming see: http://rabbitfur.org
Mink - Mink are the most commonly farmed animal for its fur. Although naturally solitary, aquatic animals, mink are crammed together in cages without access to swimming water for the 7-8 months which they live before being killed for fur. These animals have only been kept by humans for less than 100 years and so are not actually domesticated; this results in highly stressed animals that self-harm. It is believed that 30% of mink will tail bite or otherwise harm themselves as a result of stress[2]. For more information on mink farming see: www.caft.org.uk/factsheets/mink-impact.html
Foxes - More than 3 million foxes per year are kept and killed on fur farms. The main breed used is the artic fox (Alopex lagopus). Two thirds of these animals are bred in Finland (3). Kept in barren cages their natural instincts are curtailed. Arctic foxes naturally range over vast areas of up to 15,000 acres, inside a factory farm this is reduced to a few steps in any direction.
Slaughter
All animals kept for their fur come to an abrupt end when they are killed by gassing, anal electrocution, neck breaking or lethal injection. The method used depends on the farmer. The aim is to kill the animal without damaging the fur; therefore prolonged, agonising deaths are the norm for these intelligent creatures. Sometimes the process of removing fur from the animal's body begins before the animal dies. Often slaughter one of the few times during an animal's life that it is handled by people and this means that the whole experience is exceptionally stressful to the young animals.
Wild Caught Animals
Wild animals are still being caught for their fur, in painful leg hold traps. Animals are often left for hours, if not days, without access to food or water. The stress of their capture causes some animals to try to chew their own limbs off in an attempt to escape. Sadly, these animals will bleed to death. Other 'non-target' species such as; birds, other mammals and domestic animals, including cats and dogs will stand in these barbaric traps and get caught. They too face a slow and agonizing death.
Animals which are wild caught include foxes, bobcats, coyotes, lynx, raccoons, and wolves. 5 million animals a year are caught and die in this manner. The lynx is an endangered species, listed on CITES appendix II as near threatened. About 90,000 bobcat and lynx pelts are sold for fashion each year.
When people buy fur they are participating in the needless slaughter of animals for vanity. If you know of anywhere selling fur in Merseyside please get in touch with us. merseysideanimalrights@riseup.net